Maryland Spends $17 Million A Year Cleaning Up Litter—Now Officials Want It To Stop

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — State officials say littering is a huge problem along Maryland streets and highways, and it costs our state millions of dollars per year that could otherwise go to fixing potholes and other essential infrastructure. In 2026, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (SHA) partnered with Gov. Wes Moore to create a new campaign in hopes of discouraging littering.

According to Maryland.gov, around $17 million is spent on cleaning up highways each and every year, causing great strain on Maryland’s budget. The goal of the Respect Maryland Roads campaign is to reduce littering across the state. The initiative includes billboards, social media posts and other forms of advertising so that Maryland can get its message across to as many residents as possible.

“In previous years, Maryland has spent more than $17 million cleaning litter on our roadways,” said Moore in a promotional video.

“That’s state funding that could have instead gone to things like critical infrastructure projects, projects that improve public safety and drive economic growth in our communities.”

Littering on public roadways is a safety hazard and an eyesore, so the state of Maryland is encouraging residents to dispose of their unwanted items in dumpsters and trash cans instead of throwing them out the car window.

“Litter wastes resources, is a safety concern for motorists and puts our crews along busy roadways to address an issue that shouldn’t exist in the first place,” said SHA Administrator Will Pines.

The millions of dollars that Maryland spends on cleaning up litter might instead be used to build new roads, fix existing infrastructure and improve the environment. Litter often ends up in the Chesapeake Bay, and trash even clogs the drainage systems on occasion, so cleaning up our highways would have dual benefits.

What Is Maryland Doing to Keep Our Roads Clean?

Operation Clean Sweep is a driving force helping to clean up litter throughout Maryland. Contractors and maintenance workers are hired annually to participate in Operation Clean Sweep by removing trash in highly traveled regions throughout the state.

Other community organizations, both small and large, also help to clean up trash from key areas in Maryland. One such example is the Chesapeake Beach Green Team, a group that works to improve the environment in Calvert County.

Whether it be an abandoned boat or something as small as a Starbucks cup, all of the litter thrown to the side of Maryland’s highways adds up over time. More than 1.6 million bags of trash have been collected on Maryland roadways since 2021, and more trash is being cleaned up every day.

To learn more about the anti-litter campaign, visit Maryland.gov.

---